Advocates want warning labels for pot-infused edibles

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SEATTLE -- With marijuana officially legal and available to all Washington adults, there is now a growing call for the marijuana industry to do more to warn people about what's actually in the edible pot-infused products they're buying.

Timothy O'Leary of the University District's Joint Cooperative knows a lot about edible marijuana. He said rule number one for anyone experimenting with edibles is to understand what you're about to ingest.

But, he said that's difficult to do that without a label.

"A brownie in a package looks like a brownie in a package," he said. "That brownie might be ten doses if it doesn't say that on the package and you don't know. Every other brownie you get in life, you get the whole brownie. Hell, you go back for more -- you can't do that with this."

Seattle's City Attorney Pete Holmes is calling on the State Liquor Control Board to strengthen its rules on requiring edibles to show servings per container on the packaging itself.

"As people imbibe, they don't feel the immediate effect. Then they continue to imbibe, only to find that after they've ingested too much that the delayed onset effect has gotten them to a place they didn't want to be," Holmes said.

Holmes said the Washington Poison Center has seen a spike in children consuming edible marijuana since recreational sales began earlier this month.

O'Leary and others believe better labeling might help deter that.

"As much as you would think that's common sense, we're in a world where you have to say "caution, hot" on coffee, so you definitely have to say "caution, strong on cannabis," O'Leary said.

Holmes also wants a ban on marijuana advertising on commercial vehicles and an increase in retail licenses to make sure people have enough to buy legally rather than turning to the illegal trade.